FRESH FLOWER BOUQUETS WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL HALLOWEEN

OR UNTIL JACK FROST ARRIVES

Monthly Summaries

North Slope Farm, Certified Organic Production and Training, New Jersey

Records posted below : 2009 – 2014

Scrolling through the posts below, you gain an insight into our operation, through Monthly Summaries of our daily log and specific data collection. Each Trainee was required to contribute to the Record, which starts January 2009, and continues to November 2014, Six Years! 2016 was the last official year of our Training program, and the final participants were allowed to skip the Monthly Summary that was previously required. The Trainees posted the summaries at the beginning of each month, but using data from the previous year (hence the monthly summaries are missing 2015 and 2016). Our Website crashed early on and we lost the Summaries from 2006-2008. We also lost the trainee Personal Element Focus Summaries 2006-2008.

The posts are chronological, going backwards in time, and are amazingly consistent in the subject matter year to year, month to month. Trainees used the daily log and relevant data (market records, irrigation logs, etc) to flesh out a description of what happens in a month. The process not only gave the trainees a sense of what to expect in their coming month, but also built an appreciation for good record keeping, and the amazing amount of activity that occurs on a small farm.

Each month is presented according to the Hours worked in each Element of the Operation and lists items or activities of significance. The Elements of the Operation were used to focus the Trainees on specific topics and tasks. Taken as a whole, it is very difficult to comprehend the multiple forces and factors that shape a farm. By breaking the Operation into Elements, Trainees were able to gain deeper understanding of specific topics, while learning to appreciate the energy also required by multiple other fields of study and action.

Use this record to review what you can expect in the next month… or compare one year to another.. there is tons of Data, and it is augmented by our Season Summaries, which provide comparable Yield, Labor and Financial Data from 2006 – 2016!

Enjoy ! Please Share and use in research and discussion.. and please credit NorthSlopeFarm.com in any reproductions or presentations..

March 23rd, 2017 | Posted by miker in Planting - (Comments Off on Second Year Summary – Planting, Dan DeLago 2016)

Planting Focus Summary 2016 – Dan DeLago

Goals 2016

Minimizing tillage and attempting to provide constant cover for the soil via intercropping

were two major goals in the spring. In this passage I will discuss the various techniques

applied to achieve these goals and potential improvements for the future.

2015

A chisel plow, discs and roto-tiller were applied to prepare ground for fall cover crop

blocks. These were seeded with a mix of winter legumes and grasses. A potential improvement to this method of whole field tillage would be pasture cropping. Colin Seis’s operation near Sydney, Australia has developed this operation which integrates perennial crop mixes with intensive rotational grazing. This method requires several years between vegetable crops. However, between vegetable crops pastured ruminants and grain crops are harvested.

Attempts to reduce tillage heading into winter included broadcasting cover crop mix on production blocks cleaned of debris from previous flower and tomato crops. Compost applied via compost spreader covered the seeds. Germination was good in these trials and the cover crop stand was relatively free of unwanted plants. In November, garlic was planted in the furrows which previously grew tomatoes. Through this method, one round of soil preparation served two crops. The garlic bulbs were covered with 6”+ of straw. A modification of this approach would be to intercrop with several species of clover to feed the crop and provide ample shade for the soil surface during spring.

2016

In March, a mix of roots and peas were planted in raised beds. As the previous winter crops were harvested, bare soil was left. With brief hand weeding the beds were prepped and seeded without tillage and a robust crop of sugar snap peas was reaped by early May. Maintaining constant soil cover on beds being harvested in late fall can be difficult as conditions do not favor planting cover crop. To prevent winter erosion, I would personally suggest experimenting with some form of mulching. We experimented with sheet mulching this year to decent success. This included layers of manure (green or ruminant), sheets of cardboard, a very shallow layer of compost to breakdown the carbon rich mulch, and wood chips. When inoculated with King Strophoria (Garden Giant) mushroom spawn, a good yield of fungus can be harvested in spring and fall. A simpler method would be covering production areas with leaves and layers of old hay toprevent leaves from blowing away.

As the annual rains reduced our ability to do tractor work in the majority of the operation, preparing raised beds for mid April planting relied heavily on tillage to breakdown mature cover crop residue. Planting into thicker residue was the result. An improvement to our practices would be to plant raised beds with winter kill cover crops. Incorporating winter kill legumes, oats and other green manures may allow for reduction or elimination of fertilizer input. I am personally a big fan of broad forking as a means of ensuring soil aeration. However, it does take a significant amount of time and energy. During May, the decomposing residue retained moisture despite a lack of rain and it was clear that the crops were very healthy. As day temperatures began to exceed 85 degrees, we experimented with solarization; using “waste” pieces of greenhouse plastic. Beds were mowed and solarized, effectively killing all residue. We would then till the residue and plant. A modification of this technique to prevent tillage would be inserting transplants directly into the crop residue. In experimental plots we tried inserting transplants directly into solarized soils aerated with the action of the broad fork. This worked well. Direct seeding is more difficult as the hand seeders are unable to breakthrough residue. BCS attachments capable of crimping residue, cutting residue, and jab planting seeds would make direct seeding into solarized or crimped cover crop easier for small scale operations.

As the season progressed, the solarization technique was useful for rapidly turning over crop residue, but the rear tine tiller was still employed for every preparation. Our typical method of field bed preparation included ripping a 12” deep furrow with the IH 140, compost and fertilizer application, followed by several rounds of tillage with the Case 265 – 36” tiller attachment and/or 18” BCS rear tine tiller attachment. Modifications to these practices would be the implementation of a rotary power harrow for both walk behind and tractor attachment. The rotary power harrow horizontally mixes the soil surface without pulling unwanted seeds up from deeper depths. For late germinating crops (beets and carrots), a flame weeder was applied about 5-7 days after seeding. Occulation with an opaque fabric after tillage encourages germination of weeds, especially when soil moisture is scarce. It would also be interesting to determine if occulation after tillage prevents carbon dioxide from leaching into the atmosphere. Compost is traditionally covered to prevent nutrient release into the atmosphere so the same principle should apply… in theory. Although the techniques listed above to reduce tillage were fairly effective, the application on a large scale is difficult to envision without the use of tractor implements or grazing ruminants. The key line plow has been developed for deep soil aeration and can/has been combined with a seed drill, fertilizer applicator and compost tea applicator to jumpstart soil health on degraded and compacted land. Seeding a diverse crop including grasses, legumes, mustards, brassicas, roots, chenopods, herbs and dynamic accumulators would be beneficial for feeding soil, especially if combined with intensive rotational grazing techniques.

I was interested in experimenting with intercropping in the beginning of the season as a means of providing constant soil cover to reduce evaporation of soil moisture. Our cover cropping techniques included hand broadcasting a cocktail of buckwheat, vetch, peas, clover and wheat after tillage of pathways. This typically occurred when the next production block was maturing. In this fashion, we could mow the flowering cover crop after harvesting had ceased. Another method for cropping pathways was simply spreading clover seed before mowing. This technique allowed mineral rich plants such as plantain, burdock, dandelion and chicory to act as a nurse crop for the legume seed.

Intercropping using polycultures seems to be an effective means of maximizing space. I have personally been experimenting with the meso-american polyculture of corn, beans and squash for 5 years. Traditionally these milpa systems produced a wide variety of plants in addition to the three sisters (ie. sweet potatoes, chiles, tomatillos, melons, flowers, leafy greens, herbs, small grains, young trees etc). Complementary architectures of both foliage and roots, allows for satisfactory distribution of nutrients, moisture and light. The diversity of root exudates further enhances soil biology. Granted it would be very inefficient for a farm paying people to stumble through a corn jungle to harvest melons, but complex polycultures should be common place in cover crops.

Over the course of the year, I realized that my goal in pursuing a career in regenerative agriculture was to develop a holistic understanding of the watershed services of farmland and to find the most effective strategies for protecting our living waters. Rain water infiltration, percolation and purification through topsoil formation should be one of the primary goals for all farmers. The improved health of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, better food and water quality, the growth of economic assets (topsoil and water) and an effective strategy for fighting climate change/desertification are a few of the benefits of building soil. Learning the on ground application of retaining rain water in soils was a major motivator for myself in hindsight. In this essay I will discuss the importance of eliminating tillage, building soil organic matter and maintaining soil cover as it relates to the health of watersheds.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is oxidized through tillage and therefor released into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases at various concentrations relative to different tillage operations (Al-Kaisi and Yin, 2005). Because soil organic matter absorbs moisture like a sponge, up to 20 times its weight in water, eliminating tillage improves the water and nutrient uptake efficiency of plants (Johnson et al., 2005). The water retention capability of SOM plays a crucial role in the health of our watersheds. Percolation allows for a prolonged release of freshwater into our creeks, streams and estuaries without the deposition of sediment, which all too often results in eutrophication and marine dead zones; a huge problem for marine ecology (ie: the Gulf of Mexico).

Gabe Brown of North Dakota has seen a 250-300% increase in soil organic matter, a 16 fold increase in water infiltration (1/2”/hr to 6”/hr) and 90% reduction in fertilizer application using no-till and intensive rotational grazing techniques (extension.psu.edu, 2014). Using very diverse cover crop mixes, as proven by Dr.Ademir Calegari, the Brown’s crop and rangeland remain constantly covered. With constant cover the temperature of the soil never gets so high as to affect soil microbiology or evaporation/transpiration rates of the crops (Chavez NRCS 2010).

Another piece of research to mention in regards to the prevention of eutrophication is STRIPS (Science-Based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairie Strips). STRIPS can have a major impact in reducing erosion and nutrient leaching. STRIPS researchers concluded that if 10% of a production field was converted to native prairie strips nitrogen loss was reduced by 80%, phosphorous by 90% and sediment loss by 95% (5,000 lbs of soil/acre) (Dell-Harro, 2015). The benefits of having living roots in the soil and carbon covering it are numerous. In the end, I hope this essay expresses the holistic value of living soils as they relate to our crop land, watersheds and marine waters.

March 23rd, 2017 | Posted by miker in Planting - (Comments Off on Second Year Element Focus Introduction – Planting)

Dan DeLago – Second Year Focus Introduction – Planting

Dan Delago – 2016

Element Focus Introduction; Planting

When taking responsibility for an element focus this year, several considerations were taken into account. The size and experience of the next year’s crew, the priority of said element to the farm, the time of season the element takes precedent and the personal appeal of each element were a few. In the end, the element of planting was chosen. The main motivations are; to influence a strong start to next season, to prepare for planting throughout the season with attentiveness, the personal appeal of seeds and their stories, and last and most important, to promote the philosophy of earth care in one of the most integral elements of farm existence.

If the farm is a machine, the seeds are the sparkplug. The importance of seeing seedlings push out each new stage of growth is vital for a beginning and/or experienced crew. Ensuring these seedlings have strong roots by planting time provides crop security. The early spring months are when the pace of the farm season is set and having a smooth transition from startup to planting seemed to be a logical area to focus my attention. Appealing to the 6 P’s of success (proper preparation prevents piss poor performance), I surmised that planting would be the one element which invariably leads to some measure of success with proper preparation. In winter, said planning manifests itself in the form of next season’s seed order. Determining the amount of seed for each crop was done by examining the previous year’s planting records. With this information, I compiled the total foot of row to be planted in each crop, the amount of seed required (direct seeding requires more seed than transplanting) and the approximate time at which planting is to occur. During the season, land must be prepped weeks ahead of planting. It was my observation that the manager often had too many things on the farm plate to be prepared for each planting date (based upon moon cycles). As an element focus, I will actively advocate for crew hours and attempt to adhere to planting schedules as much as possible.

Innately, the ethno-botanical significance of plants and their seeds appeals to me. Considering the dubious nature of our current food systems, it is more important than ever for people to reconnect to food. In my opinion, nothing prevents over-consumption and waste more effectively than having an intimate relationship with the plants, fungi and animals that sustain us. As farmers, we provide clean, local food which inherently reduces the consumers’ ecological footprint, but most importantly, we provide a story which instills a sense of reverence for the foodstuffs consumed. As a grower, I enjoy the story of the seeds whose domestication can be traced tens of thousands of years and often holds a profound cultural importance beyond which our consumer culture can understand.

As I stated previously, the philosophy of earth care was a major consideration in deciding to manage planting. In the one year I have been exposed to diversified organic farming, I have observed the importance of soil ecology. In my opinion the success of annuals and perennials (and our planet) is merely a derivative of the health of the soil. Cover crops provide numerous benefits to ecology; provide pollen for insects, sequester several tons of carbon dioxide per acre, reduce water requirements of annuals and perennials when inter-cropped successfully, and provide fertilizer in biomass thereby building a healthier soil so plants don’t require fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides which currently pollute rivers and estuaries. In an industry which uses ungodly amounts of freshwater, fuel, fertilizer, chemicals and plastic, surely cover crops are to be of enormous importance in the future of agriculture and horticulture. A holistic understanding of inter-cropping cover crops will be garnered through the season and a balance between regenerating nature and harvesting a yield will hopefully arise.

March 23rd, 2017 | Posted by miker in Greenhouse - (Comments Off on Third Year Focus – Reflection after 2016 Season; Jacob Thies)

Jacob Thies – Third Year Focus and Reflection – 2016 Season at North Slope Farm

Year III — A Reflection

There are so many words that come to mind when I think of North Slope Farm: stewardship, respect, growth, camaraderie, family, and home. North Slope was all that to me for two and a half years until I left in my third year to finish some schooling efforts and to eventually take a position working in Central Park, New York City.

Currently, I am the 59th Street Pond Zone Gardener working for the Central Park Conservancy (http://www.centralparknyc.org). My section, the southeast corner of the park, is the entry point for millions of park patrons each year. My job description is vast and challenging and involves performing all the horticultural maintenance in the landscape including the lawns, annual, perennial and shrub beds surrounding this water body.

Much of what I’m able to get accomplished today at my current position is a credit to the time I spent at North Slope Farm’s Apprenticeship program. In hindsight, I owe a debt of gratitude to Mike and his willingness to share his knowledge, experiences, and training to create in me a foundational knowledge of both horticulture and mechanics. From the largest trees to the smallest noxious weeds (galinsoga everywhere!) to the largest pieces of equipment (landscaping mowers) to the smallest pieces of equipment (my trusty pruning shears), I confidently know I have the knowledge and skills to maintain this landscape and use these tools efficiently. I examine intently, make conscious choices with the future of the pond’s landscape in mind, and take time to properly sharpen my hori hori.

This is not the traditional season summary, and as my title suggests it is a reflection on the value of training and the respect an apprentice has for his trainer. I would not have been hired by the Central Park Conservancy if it hadn’t been for the opportunities given to me by North Slope Farm. As I sit and type, my gratitude for this farm, and the people that gravitate toward it, are at an all time high. To North Slope Farm, I thank you. To Mike, Colleen, Casey, Summer, Todd, Dan, Christine, Sam — thank you for constant encouragement and willingness to build a community so deeply rooted in all the things that are right in this world. I gratefully tip my chewed up ball cap to you all.